Rural-mail-carrier&#39;s cabinet.



PATENTED DEC. 24, 1907.

III

E. L. MATHISON. RURAL MAIL GARRIERS CABINET.

APPLICATION FILED APR.18.1907.

EDWARD L. MATHI SON, OF PANORA, IOWA.

RURAL-MAIL-CARRIEPLS CABINET.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 24, 190.7.

Application filed April 13. 1907. Serial No. 363.841.

To all whom it may concern:

Bert known that I, EDWARD L. MATinsoN, a citizen of the United States, residing at 'Panora, in the county of Guthrie and State of Iowa, have invented a certain new and useful it ural-Mail-Carriers Cabinet, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a cabinet of simple, durable and inexpensive construction, and of compact arrangement, designed to contain money order pads, envelop compartments, a folding writing desk and a cash holder, so arranged as to be espe cially adapted for use by rural mail carriers in facilitating their work in preparing money orders, making change, and carrying envelo s, postals, and the like.

y invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of the cabinet, whereby the objects contem lated are attained, as hereinafter more fu ly set forth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawin s, in which Figure 1 shows a plan view of the complete cabinet embodying my invention, with the cover open, and the folding writing table also open. Fig. 2 shows a transverse, sectional view taken on a line through the center of the cash holder, taken in a position for writing, and Fig. 3 shows a central, trans verse sectional view, in a folded position.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,

I have used the reference numeral 10 to inhandle 13 1s fixed to the front side of tho cabinot to provide for carrying it. .llingcd to the top of the rear sidc'ol' the cabinet, within the cover 11, is a tray 14, having notches 15 formed in its end portions, near its forward side. Ilingcd to the forward side of the tray is a writing table 16, normally folded into the notches 15, so that its top is flush with the top of the tray, and its bottom slightly spaced apart from tho bottom of the tray, and in its extended posil ion, it projects ontwardly to form a hand support for a person writing upon a tablet or money order blank, placed within the tray, said tray being of a size and shape to contain a stamp lzook and a money order pad side by side, which will occupy the space between the writing table 156 and the bottom of the tray, when said writing table is in its folded-position.

Arranged within the body portion 1 0 are two longitudinal partitions 17 secured to the ends of the body portion, and s aced apart slightly from the sides thereof, t us forming two com artments to receive a register receipt boo and a money order receipt book. Arranged near one end of the body portion is a transverse partition 18', with its endsconnected with the partitions. 17. The space between the partition 18 and time adjacent end of the body portion 1 0 is designed to form a currency holder 19.

I have provided a receptacle for small change normally restin in the. upper portion of the currency ho der, which receptacle is preferably formed complete-oil. a single piece of metal, and comprises a bottom 20,

sides and ends 21, and a top 22, which extends from the rear about nalf way across the top, thus permitting the operator to insert his fingersbetween the end of the top and the adjacent portion of the front 21. This coin receptacle is conneetedby a. hinge 23 with the partition 17 at-the rear of the body portion 10, its forward end normally resting on top of the partition 17 at the front of the body portion, as shown in Fig'.

2. In, the space between the partition 18.

and the end of the body portion 10, opposite from the cash holder, are three longitudinal partitions 4, forming between them'and the partitions 17 four compartments for small envelops and the like.

In practical use, the rural mail carrier first equips the cabinet with a uantity of change in tho hinged coin receptac c, and a quantity of currency in the holder 19. He also provides receipt books in-the compartments prepared for them, with small envelops in the proper com artments, and money order applications and stamp book in the hinged tray. The entire device will then occupy a very sum-ll space, and may be carried by the handle 13. Assuming that he desires to prepare a money order, he first opens the -cover 11, and throws back the writing table 16, then his hand may be supported on the writing table while writing 11 on the money order pad contained within tiie tray. desires to make change, he may rear ily reach the small coin by first folding up the writing table Hi, and then turning the tray 14 rearwardly over the cover 11, as shown in Fig.

,at the forward portion of its top s' 1, whereupon the coins in the coin receptacle are readily accessible to him. If he desires to obtain any article within the holder 19, the coin receptacle is turned rearwardly on its hinges to an upwardly and rearwardly inclined. position, and the coins will be retained in the receptacle .on account of the cover 22. In this way, there is no danger of loss or misplacenient of anyof the articles which iti is necessary forthe rural mail carrier to rovide himself with, and all of the operations which he isusually required to make in connection with his duties may be performed readily and easily by the use of this cabinet.

Having. thus described my invention, what- I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of'tho United States therefor is- 1. In a device of the class described, the combination of a box shaped portion, a hinged cover, a tray hinged to the box shaped body portion," and having a writing table hinged to the top of the tray, and capable of being extended to position, projecting forwardly from the front of the tray.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination of a box shaped body portion, a hinged cover, a coin receptacle 0 en only ace, and hinged at its rear end, and having its front end normally resting upon a stationary support, to hold the tray in a horizontal position.

3. In a device 'of the class described, the combination of a box shaped body portion, a hinged cover, two longitudinal partitions ar-- ranged near the front and rear of the box, a transverse partition between said longitudinal partitions near one end, a coin rece tacle open only at the forward portion-o its top, hinged at its rear end to one of the longi tudinal partitions, and contained between the transverse partitions and the adjacent end of the box, said coin receptacle being of such depth as to leave a large rece tacle beneath it, and a series of longitudina partitions extending from the transverse parti-- tions to the end of the box opposite from the coin receptacle.

4. A rural mail carriers cabinet co1nprising a box shaped body portion, a hinged cover therefor, a tray hinged to the rear of the box shaped body, with its forward end resting on the front of the box shaped body, said tray formed with notches in the forward portions of the ends thereof, a writing table hinged to the front side of the tray, normally resting in said notches, and spaced a art from the bottom of the tray, andv capablh of being extended forwardly beyond the tray, to form a long support, two longitudinal partitions within the box shaped body, heneath the tray, a transverse partition extended between the longitudinal partitions near one end thereof, a coin holder in the upper portions of the receptacle, formed by said partitions, said coin holder open only at the forward portion of its to hinged at its rear end to the longitudina partition, and having its forward end resting upon the other longitudinal partition, and a series of short longitudinal partitions extendedfroin the transverse partition to the end of the box sha ed body, opposite from the coin receptac e. EDWARD L. MATHISON.

"Witnesses:

C. A. MILLER, M. M. REYNOLDS. 

